One Man's Worth
by setlib
Summary: General Iroh is the heir to a great and terrible legacy, the descendent of heroes and madmen. He has a carefully structured plan to make his mark in the world...but his plan is about to be upset by a brash young Avatar.


**Title:** One Man's Worth  
**Author:** setlib  
**Rating:** K-rated for the moment  
**Setting:** Begins just after episode 10, Turning the Tides  
**Pairings:** Korroh – Korra x Iroh  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to any characters from The Legend of Korra. Those belong to Nickelodeon and the great Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino.

**Summary:** General Iroh is the heir to a great and terrible legacy, the descendent of heroes and madmen. He has a carefully structured plan to make his mark in the world...but his plan is about to be upset by a brash young Avatar.

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"_It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."_

**One Man's Worth, Chapter 1: Anticipation**

I took a deep breath of crisp sea air and held it, the bitter cold reaching down my throat and into my lungs, helping curb my impatience. The ocean usually had a calming effect on me. I certainly spent a lot of time on the water; some might say _too much_, but I ignored their jibes I had learned to use water to my advantage. I had little choice, as a Fire Nation prince who also shared the blood of the Southern Water Tribe.

"Sir!" Lieutenant Basho approached to my left and snapped a quick salute. "We've just received a wire from Admiral Bumi, requesting an immediate status update."

I expelled my breath slowly, quelling my irritation. It wasn't that my father didn't trust me to handle things, I knew that. The two of us had trained together for years, and he had gradually increased my authority as I had proven myself capable of command. I was leading river rescues and disaster relief in my teens, hunting down rogue bands of criminals in my early twenties, and last year my father unreservedly recommended me to be the youngest general in the history of the United Forces. He was just jealous, I thought, biting back a smirk. Here I was, about to lead our newly designed fleet of battleships into their first real military encounter, and he was stuck at home playing Royal Consort while mother learned the ropes as Fire Lord. I bet he was driving her crazy. She had probably suggested he check up on me just to get him out of her hair.

"Inform Admiral Bumi that Republic City has fallen to the Equalists, but I am coordinating with the Avatar to mount a resistance."

"Yes, General!" Basho saluted and quickly marched back to the bridge. I tried again to achieve equanimity, schooling myself to allow my underlying sense of tension to recede with the sound of his footsteps, but the meditation did not work today. I knew my lingering anxiety was not fear. I was familiar with the fear of the eve of battle, and its corresponding thrill, but that was still far away. I had confidence in my soldiers, their training, our armaments. My knowledge of military strategy was exacting; I would find this Amon's weakness, and exploit it. The source of my uncertainty was something else entirely.

The Avatar. I would finally be meeting the newest incarnation, face to face. I clasped my hands around the sea-slick metal railing, welcoming the bite of the winter chill. My memories of my grandfather Aang were vague, clouded in childish sentimentality. I was often as excited about getting a ride on his sky bison as I was about seeing him. His visits were usually filled with meetings, and dull voices talking about adult things. My clearest memory of him was the day he showed me a hidden water slide on Ember Island, one even my mother didn't know about. Perhaps that was when my affinity for the water truly began. It wasn't until long after he passed away that I began to realize how special, how powerful, he really was. And by then it was too late to get to know him.

Of course the new Avatar was nothing like grandfather. Not only a waterbender, but a female – a teenage girl, to be precise. And from all accounts, hot-headed and stubborn. The complete opposite of me. I couldn't possibly hope to understand my lineage, myself, through her.

And yet. Surely Granny Katara had some influence on her. She was born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, and might give me some insight into that part of my heritage. She was studying under Uncle Tenzin now, and I tensed against the surge of envy I felt. I had always been drawn to meditation, but a prince didn't have the freedom to waste his time studying with the air nomads when there were so many other pressing matters demanding his attention. Father should have been able to teach me himself, as son of an airbender, but of course he never could get the hang of quiet introspection – it was no coincidence he had chosen to take a passionate Fire Nation princess as his wife. Perhaps this Avatar, this Korra, could give me the answers I sought.

What was my destiny? Both of my grandfathers were heroes who had fought epic battles and saved the world when they were still teenagers. So far I had done nothing worthy of the history scrolls. How would I make my mark on the world? When I was finally tested, would I find myself capable of greatness – or madness? For all the heroes in my family tree, there were darker spots on my lineage as well, unimaginable evil, arrogance, and destruction. Which branch would I follow?

My gaze traced the horizon, straining to see past the blue mist to the land I knew waited for me in the distance. Three days until I reached Republic City. Three days until I could prove my worth. Three days until I could find her, and perhaps, find myself.

Three days was a very long time to wait.

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**Author's Note:** I probably should have waited until we actually knew something about Iroh before writing this, but I found an intriguing theory that he might be Bumi's son, so I decided to go ahead and start writing because, quite frankly, I can't wait any longer to find out! If it turns out I've written myself into a corner, however, I might have to come back and revise heavily :)

The quote at the beginning of this chapter was by Marcus Aurelius.


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